Dealer’s Retreat as International Art Sales Model Shifts

Georgina Adam’s Financial Times column addresses the continuing shift in the art world from independent dealers to international entities with global reach and a relentless schedule of art fair appearances:

In Paris the respected dealer Jérôme de Noirmont has closed, explaining in a letter to his clients: “The future appears to be in certain specialised niches for simple-structure galleries, and in the branding of mega-galleries, just as powerful as they are big, with several international locations.” He says that, to face the competition, he would need larger premises, more employees and to take on more artists, something he does not want to do. Now de Noirmont is setting up a new venture: “Something like an agency, which would help in production, working with other galleries and institutions.”

Last year, another Parisian, Aline Vidal, decided to close her gallery and work purely on a “nomadic” basis in different locations with her artists. “I wanted to do fewer fairs, to find another model,” she says. “I want to get out of the superficial ‘show-business’ aspect of the market today.”

The Art Market: Wasting Assets, Winning Strategy (Financial Times)